NaNoWriMo Day 6: 10,276

This includes names. But I'll mix and match them so it won't be a person from real life.

I would say something about my writing process, but I don't want to jinx it.

One more day off to try to get housework and yard work done.

Alternate Night Shift Worker has turned in her notice. I'm going full-time, but probably not until next month, thank goodness.

NaNoWriMo: Day 5 Word Count: 8,669

Sorry, but the word count on the icon is incorrect. The correct word count for today is 8,335. Which means I'm ahead!

So, gotta go. Have to keep writing if I want to stay ahead!

NaNoWriMo Day 4: Word Count: 6930 and Counting, and a Teaser

I'm working quite a bit on the novel tonight. I'd like to get a word count cushion if at all possible.

WIP Wednesday will resume in December.

Sorry for the short post. Gotta get back to work! ;)

I usually don't post my work on the internet, and I won't reveal the plot, but here's a teaser:

As she bolted through the lobby doors and out into the hot Alabama sun, there was only one thought in Alexandra Trudeau's mind. Lily Anderson had ruined her life once before, and now she was doing it again. Damn bitch. She walked to the parking lot and hit the button on her keyring to unlock her red BMW. But this will be the last time, she thought as she slammed the door and turned the ignition. This time, Alex would turn the tables on Lily. Like she's never seen before.

NaNoWriMo Day 3: Or is it Day Four? Word Count: 5144

Well, I thought I would get Monday and Tuesday off work this week. That's what I get for thinking, I guess. Alternate Night Shift Worker called in sick again last night, saying she couldn't work four days in a row. I wanted to pull my hair out. With her calling in the last two nights that made me working four days in a row. I wanted to scream.

This has been an ongoing problem since I took this job. She won't work her hours, but refuses to give them up so that when the schedule is made up I can have them. I can't make any plans whatsoever outside of work. They always fall through because she constantly calls in sick. Or just doesn't show/doesn't call. Yet she still has a job. It just amazes me. I need a raise. A big one. Dependability and responsibility should count for something.

Anyway, I refused to let this get me any further behind in my word count than it already has. This Alpha Female got smart and took her AlphaSmart to work with her. Got almost 800 words that way. I would have written more if I'd turned the tele off, I guess. Oh, well.

I love my job, I love my clients. But I don't like being taken advantage of. Alternate Night Shift Worker is now a character in my novel. She won't live to see The End. *insert evil bwahahaha laugh here*

Sleep now, then back to banging the keys. I'm not answering my phone today if work calls. I really hate to do that, but enough is enough. I do have a life outside of my job, even if it is just sitting in front of my computer the majority of the time.

Gee, that sounds like I have a boring life. Maybe I do to some people. But it's not boring to me. Solitude is a part of the writer's life, and it agrees with me. I wasn't always like that. I had to have people around me constantly. But that was because I didn't enjoy my own company. I do today. I'm a cool person to be around. ;)

Word count goal for Wednesday: 7k.

NaNoWriMo Day 2: Word Count Low, Optimism High

This afternoon I got called in to work tonight, so technically I won't make the word count of 3334 today. But in going in tonight I have five days off instead of three starting tomorrow. So, true to the spirit of procrastination that I so love to nurture, Getting Ahead Early has turned into Eventually Get Ahead Early.

Alternate Shift At Work needs to show up on the job the rest of the week or I will put her in my novel and vicariously do really bad things to her. It will not be pretty.

NaNoWriMo Day 1: 1,774 words and counting

I got up at noon yesterday. I worked last night. I stayed up until 7:30 AM working on my outline of over 700 words that don't count towards the total word count. I got up at 9:15 AM to go see Buddy, and then came home and wrote some more. I have one hour to rest before I go back to work. My wrists already hurt. Tylenol, Advil and Aleve will be three of my best friends this month. But I'm having fun. That is the insanity of which I often speak.

After tonight I am off for three days. During those three days I will be a noveling fool. I want to get a buffer on the word count just in case something happens. Getting sick last year during Thanksgiving taught me a lesson I haven't forgotten: Get Ahead Early.

Having a blast, meeting people from all over the world on Twitter, in the NaNo Forums and NaNoChat. I'm too tired to make links for these sites. You can Google it. ;)

NaNoWriMo 2009: No Pink Cloud This Year

I wasn't as excited about doing NaNoWriMo this year as I was last year. Last October I was all excited, anticipating finally writing my first novel. I fell off that little pink cloud around the third day. Writing a novel is damn hard work. NaNoWriMo will take over your life. If you're OCD like I am, your word count will be your dominant thought for the month, nagging you constantly in the back of your mind.

Honestly, I was contemplating not doing it this year. It's insanity at it's best. It's stressful, and stress takes a toll on me physically. But then I remembered that it was also fun. Yes, it was hard, but I enjoyed it. And the feeling when I hit the 50k mark? Well, let me just say that when I remembered how that felt, I changed my mind and decided to do it.

Just like last year, it's Oct. 31 (my absolute favorite day of the year), and I have nary an idea of what to write. But that's okay. I work well under pressure. Matter of fact, that's usually when I'm at my best.

Last minute prep: sync the Palm, find some chocolate, buy more coffee, and trust myself that I can do this.

Forgotten things that I just remembered: clean the coffeepot.

WIP Wednesday 10/28/09 & NaNo Alert: Liquid Story Binder on Sale Nov. 1!

Sorry I've been absent. My current WIP is my house. I'm trying to get it organized before NaNo starts, and I'm woefully behind schedule as I've been working more hours at the job that actually pays the bills. And the increase of hours at work took a physical toll. I don't do stairs very well for extended periods of time. So that had me thinking that I need to find another job. But I don't just want any job, I want a job that I love. Yes, I love writing. But that's not bringing in the cheese right now. And my current job isn't bringing in enough. Being happily single, all the finances are on me. I have no partner to back me up financially. So I'm contemplating starting my own business. I'm doing research in that area right now. I figure I'll keep my current job and start the business part-time until I build it up. Then it's bye-bye to climbing stairs constantly at work and wearing out what knee cartilage I have left. And the great thing is that writing can also be involved with this business. It just won't be fiction.

So far: bathroom and kitchen are done, living room is halfway there, and the bedroom will be last due to the closets and the files. I'm off work Thursday and Friday, so hopefully all will be completed before Sunday.

I'm working this weekend and I've done absolutely no planning for NaNo. I didn't plan last year, and all turned out well. Let's just hope that FBTSOMP plan (Fly By the Seat of My Pants) works this year.

But the Really Exciting News is that Liquid Story Binder is going on sale Nov. 1 at half price! Sale price is less than $25! I've been waiting months for this software to go on sale. I've tried it, and it's totally awesome. It has more features than I probably will ever use, but they are there if I need them. People who use this software rave about it. And it's portable! Yes, the learning curve is steep. But the developer of this software is so into customer service, he has a Yahoo Group dedicated to helping people to use all the features of this program. Download the free trial now, join the Yahoo Group, and when the sale starts Sunday, just purchase the half-off license.

I'm so psyched! Even though I'll be purchasing this next week (on Friday, which is payday), I don't know if I will use if for NaNo this year due to the learning curve. But I'll probably play around with it, and most likely turn into a LSB convert in December and use it exclusively for writing novels after November.

Don't forget Daylight Savings Time ends on Nov. 1st. That means an extra hour to write your novel! On to the insanity that is lovingly known as NaNoWriMo.

WIP Wednesday 10/7/09

Cast the Circle Widdershins, what a trip to Edit Hell you are. Heavy revision is in order. I will truly be cutting this manuscript up, eviscerating it, then playing Manuscript Surgeon Extraordinaire and stitching it back together. Let's just hope the patient survives.

Just To Avoid Any Problems

Because I already have enough on my plate and don't need any more, after reading this interview with the FTC's Richard Cleland on Edward Champion's site I will be removing all review posts and any product links from this blog. Yes, even though I have a disclaimer at the bottom, I'm still removing the links. And for my own protection as well as for the protection of others that I've linked to on this blog, I've updated that disclaimer accordingly.

Of all things the FTC decided to "fix" they had to pick on bloggers, book reviewers, writers and publishers. :Sigh:

The guidelines are here.

Pick a Post Title

Let's see. It could be "How This Blog Got It's Name." Or, "How Much We Like Sweet Tea in the South." Or, "Why You Can Only Find Sweet Tea in the South."

Southerners Like Sweet Tea Most of All